Livestock: Transport

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) enforcement and  (b) inspection of the six-day rule.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 18 November 2008
	It is not possible to separate the costs of enforcing and inspecting the six day rule from the range of measures designed to limit the spread of livestock disease.

Armed Conflict: Children

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were considered by the Government in responding to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the Optional Protocol of the Child in relation to armed conflict; and whether the Army Terms of Service (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2008 were taken into account.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK submitted its first report on the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict in June 2007 and was examined by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on this report in September 2008.
	In producing the UK report and preparing for the examination, the Ministry of Defence considered the need to demonstrate how our legislation, policies and practices were compliant with the requirements of the Optional Protocol. The main areas considered were: the recruitment of under-18s into the armed forces and the safeguards in place to ensure recruitment is totally voluntary; the measures taken to ensure that those personnel under the age of 18 are not deployed on operations; the treatment of child soldiers encountered on operations; the training provision for service personnel on the provisions of the Optional Protocol; and the treatment and care of service personnel under the age of 18.
	The Army Terms of Service (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2008 came into effect on 6 August 2008, and were taken into account during the process of preparing for the examination. The Regulations brought the minimum commitment period for under-18 soldiers back into line with the provisions that existed prior to 1 January 2008, i.e. that they should serve for a minimum of four years from their 18(th) birthday. The Ministry of Defence provided information concerning these changes to the Committee, both in the written response to the list of issues and during the hearing itself.
	The Ministry of Defence believes all our policies are robust and fully compliant with national and international law, including our obligations under the Optional Protocol.
	The Committee issued its concluding observations on 3 October 2008, in which they made a number of recommendations which require detailed consideration by the UK. The Ministry of Defence is currently engaging with other relevant Government Departments to determine how best to take this work forward.

Iraq: Military Aircraft

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Harrier aircraft were deployed in support of Operation TELIC; and for what period.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 24 November 2008
	Up to 21 Harrier aircraft were deployed in support of Operation Telic between February and May 2003.
	In my answer to the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster) on 17 November 2008,  Official Report, column 135W, I incorrectly stated that the Harrier force has never been deployed on Operation Telic.
	My answer should have read that the Harrier force has not been deployed continuously on operations since the start of Operation Telic.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to regulate the operation of private military and security companies working in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	We currently have no legislation dealing directly with the overseas operations of UK-based private military and security companies (PMSCs). Options for regulation were considered in a Green Paper published in 2002 entitled 'Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation.' A follow-up review in 2005 explored a number of options for ways in which the industry could be regulated, including self-regulation, licensing of individual contracts and licensing of companies from a register of Government approved companies. This review highlighted the complexity of the issues, especially the definition of what activities should be regulated and how any regulations would be enforced—all of which continue to be the subject of ministerial and official consultation. The Government have undertaken to keep Parliament fully informed of their proposals in this area. If it is agreed that some form of regulation is appropriate, the Government will put the proposals to public consultation.
	However, apart from the national law of the countries in which they are operating, PMSCs are also subject to certain UK legislation. For example, there is legislation penalising grave breaches of the Geneva conventions, as well as torture, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, which applies to acts committed by United Kingdom nationals overseas. We have also considered international regulation based on common international values and norms. We have supported the Swiss Initiative to promote respect for international humanitarian law and human rights law on the part of PMSCs operating in situations of armed conflict or post-conflict.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the Joint Strike Fighter Project; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The Joint Strike Fighter programme remains on schedule with the first development conventional take off and landing (CTOL- AA-1) and the first development short take off and vertical landing (STOVL - BF-1) variants completing in excess of 83 test flights to date. AA-1 also achieved its first supersonic flight on 14 November 2008.

RAF Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the likely time gap will be between the final removal of the Hercules fleet from RAF Lyneham and the arrival of the Joint Helicopter Command contingent upon any relevant decision arising from Project Belvedere.

Bob Ainsworth: Programme Belvedere is considering a number of airfields as potential bases for the future Joint Helicopter Command Battlefield Helicopter force, including RAF Lyneham. No decisions have yet been made.

Warrior Armoured Vehicle

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the Government plans to improve  (a) the protection afforded by and  (b) the survivability of the Warrior armoured fighting vehicle.

Quentin Davies: The Department has already taken steps to improve the protection and survivability of the Warrior fleet in Afghanistan and Iraq through the Urgent Operational Requirements process. We intend to improve further Warrior's protection and survivability through the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme, which is in the early stages of its Acquisition Cycle.

Domestic Violence

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government has taken to meet its objective, as stated in the Government Equalities Office document Tackling Violence Against Women, that all police and Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors will have received training about domestic violence by the end of 2008.

Maria Eagle: 42 out of 43 Crown Prosecution Service areas completed their domestic violence training by April 2008. The remaining area negotiated an extension until November 2008 and they are on target to complete training by the end of November.
	The Government do not hold information on the provision of training in domestic abuse for police officers. The responsibility for domestic abuse training is devolved to individual police forces. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has issued guidance on the investigation of domestic abuse cases and the ACPO lead for domestic abuse has been engaging with the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) regarding a refresh of current modular training.
	NPIA have carried out a consultation period, which is to be extended to encompass the voluntary sector. Key areas for refresh will be around honour based violence, stalking and harassment, risk identification, assessment and management and the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act (2004) (non-molestation and civil and criminal law interface). Training is still being undertaken within individual police forces to the current modular system.

Rail Services: Halifax-London

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on the provision of a direct rail link between Halifax and London.

Paul Clark: Network Rail is due to present a further assessment of timetable options for the East Coast Main Line to the Office of Rail Regulation on or before 19 December. The Office of Rail Regulation expects to publish its decision regarding which train operators will be granted new access rights during January 2009.

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to modify the renewable transport fuel obligation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Yes. The Gallagher Review on the indirect effects of biofuel production recommended that the rate of increase in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation should be slowed. Our consultation issued on 15 October proposes this, together with changes to introduce new eligible fuels and to rectify a discrepancy in the definition of how the obligation is calculated.

High Speed Rail Line

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will take steps to build a high speed rail line north from London.

Paul Clark: The Government are looking at the need for additional transport capacity as part of the new approach to planning set out in the October 2007 document "Towards a Sustainable Transport System". While Network Rail is reviewing the case for new lines as one option, enhancement of the capability of the existing network is equally important, as shown by the £8.8 billion investment in upgrading the West Coast Main Line, which has significantly reduced travel times.

Channel Tunnel

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of current spare passenger capacity on  (a) the High Speed One rail link and  (b) the Channel Tunnel.

Paul Clark: There is currently significant spare capacity on High Speed 1. Much of this will be utilised when domestic high-speed services commence in December 2009. And, potentially, the opening up of the international passenger rail market from 2010 will see further increases in the use of the railway in the future.
	Although the Department for Transport has made no formal assessment of the current spare capacity in the channel tunnel, it is my understanding that a significant level of capacity remains available for international services. The allocation of paths through the channel tunnel, and the precise number that have been unused, are matters for Eurotunnel.

Cycling: East Midlands

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cycle routes have been established in the East Midlands since 1998.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not collect this information centrally.

Driving Standards Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the Driving Standards Agency has issued more than one copy of the Are you ready DVD to an individual learner driver since 1 January 2008; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 24 November 2008
	The Driving Standards Agency estimates that between 1 January 2008 and 20 November 2008, 60,000 learner drivers have received more than one copy of the 'Are You Ready?' DVD owing to a technical error.
	A further 20,000 customers were sent an additional copy at their request because of the loss of the original, or an undelivered appointment letter.

National Business Travel Network

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many businesses have signed up to the National Business Travel Network; how much has been spent on the network since its launch, broken down by different projects; and how much he plans to spend on the network over the next two years.

Paul Clark: 112 businesses have joined the National Business Travel Network since its launch in February 2007.
	Planned spend to March 2009 is £750,000. This includes:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Research and publications 153,000 
			 Events 107,000 
			 Website/database 40,000 
			 Fees, set up costs, salaries, accommodation etc. 450,000 
		
	
	We are currently reviewing how best to reduce car journeys generated by business travel to give more options to employees and businesses.

Railways: South West

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to promote high speed rail links to the South West.

Paul Clark: The Government's immediate priority are increasing capacity on the existing rail network and £10 billion will be invested from 2009 to 2014 on measures to bring this about.
	In March 2008, the Secretary of State for Transport invited Network Rail to examine options for supporting further growth in the longer term, which might include new lines. Network Rail's new lines study is due to be completed in summer 2009.
	On 29 October 2008, it was announced that the Minister of State for Transport (Lord Adonis) will chair a National Networks Strategy Group, with senior partners from Network Rail, the Highways Agency, Treasury and other Government Departments as necessary. The focus of the group is to make best use of the existing key networks and to investigate longer term solutions to future challenges on these networks including new rail lines.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projects are included in the Highway Agency's category of other programmes; and from which budget the costs of each such project are met.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency has a major projects category of construction schemes which individually are greater than £5 million. There are some 4,400 other non major projects, a summary of these showing the number of projects by budget line is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Budget line  Capital  Resource  Total 
			 Traffic Management 74 290 364 
			 Technology Improvements 184 101 285 
			 Maintaining the Network 81 1,705 1,786 
			 Smaller Local Schemes and R&D 662 1,332 1,994 
			 Total 1,001 3,428 4,429 
		
	
	A detailed list of projects by description will be placed in the Libraries of the House early in the new year.

Transport: Concessions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the proportion of central government funding for the concessionary fares scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The Government remain confident that there is sufficient funding in total to meet the cost of the statutory minimum bus concession. We are also confident that the extra funding provided this year, £212 million, to meet the additional costs of the move to England-wide free off-peak bus travel is sufficient. A formula was used to distribute this year's additional funding taking account of factors such as local population, tourist numbers and current bus use. The Department for Transport will continue to monitor the impact of the new concession.

Departmental Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff in his Office did not achieve an acceptable assessment grade in their annual report in the latest reporting year for which figures are available.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) today.

Australia: Foreign Relations

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make plans to visit Australia to discuss UK-Australia relations.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary does not currently have plans to visit Australia. He maintains a regular and productive dialogue with his Australian counterpart on a range of key bilateral and multilateral issues. They have regular conversations over the telephone and have met on several occasions this year, including during Stephen Smith's visit to London in June.
	The most recent visit to Australia by a Foreign Office Minister was in May by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Meg Munn), when she discussed UK-Australia relations with a range of Australian Ministers, including their Deputy Prime Minister.

Colombia: Armed Forces

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the Colombian security forces received training funded, in whole or in part, by the UK in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: UK Government records show that the following number of Colombian Security personnel received direct UK training in the following fiscal years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 21 
			 2004-05 56 
			 2005-06 58 
			 2006-07 66 
			 2007-08 393 
		
	
	This UK bilateral training is focussed on human rights and humanitarian demining. As much of this engagement is training the trainers, further personnel will have benefited. Furthermore, the UK is also supporting projects being implemented by a number of United Nations agencies to train thousands more men and women in human rights.
	Some Colombian military personnel have also received training in the field of counter narcotics. We do not disclose the nature of this engagement, as to do so would endanger the security of the UK and Colombian personnel involved, and undermine the effectiveness of that work.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to monitor the current situation in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Kinshasa, Goma and Kigali on 1-2 November. He saw conditions in the region at first-hand and urged both President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and President Kagame of Rwanda to work for a political solution to the current crisis in eastern DRC, including full implementation of the Nairobi Accord. Our embassy and the Department for International Development office in Kinshasa maintain close contact with the DRC Government, the UN operation, international partners and humanitarian agencies.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to protect British citizens and aid workers in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: We have no exact figures for the numbers of British citizens in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), though we believe the numbers to be small. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice advises against all travel to eastern and north eastern DRC including North Kivu. Those British nationals in the effected areas are likely to be working with international aid agencies and UN agencies. These organisations have their own security systems in place for the evacuation of staff and take advice from the UN mission in the DRC locally. Our embassy in Kinshasa is able to provide limited consular assistance to British nationals in need of emergency assistance. We have a diplomat based in Goma, who as part of their role is to offer consular advice and assistance.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports by UN officials of the involvement of Angolan troops in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: We have received no confirmed reports from any source, including the UN, of formed units of Angolan troops operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UN Peacekeeping Force's (MONUC) official spokesman has denied rumours that there are Angolan troops in eastern DRC. The Angolan ambassador to DRC has also denied that there are Angolan troops present in the country.

Democratic Republic of Congo: United Nations

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration his Department has given to the provision of additional resources to the UN mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) forces on the ground are best placed to deal with the current situation: I fully support their efforts to do so, and commend them for the work they have done. It is not clear that a rapid deployment of forces from the EU or elsewhere at this time could produce a significant increase in the capability that already exists in the region. Discussions with EU partners have revealed a broad consensus in line with this assessment.
	The UK currently has five personnel within MONUC, occupying key staff appointments in Kinshasa and Goma. We will consider requests for additional support from the UN but large scale deployments are highly unlikely in view of our operational commitments elsewhere.

Democratic Republic of Congo: United Nations

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the provision of additional resources to United Nations Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gillian Merron: During the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on 10 November, EU Foreign Ministers agreed that at present the best option would be to ensure that the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo's (MONUC) 17,000 troops are correctly deployed and effectively mandated to provide immediate security in the east of the country. The Council issued conclusions which reiterated its support for MONUC in these difficult circumstances and asked that everything be done to allow it to fulfil its role completely. The Council also underlined the importance of the forthcoming debates on renewal of MONUC's mandate and on strengthening its capacity and called for the strengthening of co-operation between the EU, its member states and MONUC.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Violence

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the development of a country-wide plan of action and strategy to combat gender violence in Democratic Republic of Congo; and what assistance the UK has given towards this task.

Gillian Merron: The UN Senior Adviser on Sexual Violence has been working on a global strategy for tackling the issue in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in consultation with partners. The UK has been taking an active interest in the project. In particular, we have been contributing to the impunity action plan for sexual crimes in DRC, which is a component of the wider UN strategy.
	Addressing sexual violence requires a multi-dimensional approach and the UK Government are tackling the problem through a range of programmes. As part of our Security Sector Accountability Programme (£80 million over five years), we are providing accommodation for integrated brigades, human rights training within the military and have supported the reform of the army chain of payments. The programme includes a strong police reform component focussing on improving command and control procedures and supporting special units within the police to deal with sexual violence. We fund medical and psychosocial care for victims through our contribution to the UN Humanitarian Pooled Fund (£35 million). With EU partners we are supporting a justice rehabilitation programme in Eastern DRC, Restoration of the Judicial System in Eastern Congo (REJUSCO), which includes a component providing legal support and accompaniment for victims through the criminal process. The issue of sexual violence is raised on a regular basis by Her Majesty's ambassador and others to senior members of the Government to generate political will to tackle the issue.

Iraq: Diplomatic Service

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what codes of practice on employment and terms and conditions locally-engaged staff contracted to work in the British Embassy in Baghdad are subject to.

Gillian Merron: Terms and conditions of employment for locally-engaged staff at the British embassy in Baghdad are based on local law. There is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office checklist of issues, such as conduct and discipline, grievances, hours of work, pay, performance standard and tax, which are included in all local staff terms and conditions worldwide, and adapted to comply with local law. Some of the locally-contracted staff working at the British embassy Baghdad are employees of private companies such as KBR, Control Risks and GardaWorld, and their terms and conditions are set by their parent companies.

Montserrat: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with representatives of the Montserrat Government in the last six months.

Gillian Merron: As Minister for Overseas Territories, I met overseas territories heads of delegations, including the Chief Minister of Montserrat, hon. Lowell Lewis, during the 10th meeting of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council on 28-29 October.
	My hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Department of International Development, and I also held bilateral discussions with Chief Minister hon. Lowell Lewis and Minister hon. Reuben Meade on Thursday 30 October.

Rwanda: Armed Conflict

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the recent fighting in the region.

Gillian Merron: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Tanzania on 1-2 November with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner. During the visit, he urged President Kabila of the DRC and President Kagame of Rwanda to pursue a political solution to the problems of the eastern DRC, including by fully implementing the Nairobi Accord.
	We will continue to work with the DRC and Rwandan Governments, as well as others including the UN, the African Union and the EU, to seek a long-term solution. Meanwhile, we urge that the current ceasefire is maintained and humanitarian access is allowed to help those most affected by recent fighting.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has met officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands since Hurricane Ike in September 2008.

Gillian Merron: As Minister for the Overseas Territories, I met delegations from the Overseas Territories, including the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Dr. Michael Misick, and his officials, during the tenth meeting of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council on 28-29 October.
	The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for International Development and I held a bilateral discussion with the Premier, the Finance Minister and Ministry of Finance officials on 30 October.

Health Services: Technology

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to develop and support the UK telehealth sector.

Ann Keen: The Whole System Demonstrator programme aims to evaluate telehealth and telecare and has established a randomised control trial in three sites with aiming to have 6,000 participants. This is believed to be the largest randomised control trail of telecare and telehealth anywhere in the world which will be on a scale significantly greater than anything undertaken in England.
	The Department has worked closely with the Technology Strategy Board to create the Assisted Living Innovation Platform (ALIP). ALIP promotes, supports and invests in technology research, development and commercialisation. Several UK telehealth and telecare companies are already engaged in the first wave of projects supported by the platform.
	Similarly the Department worked with the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency to develop the first ever National Framework Agreement for the procurement of telecare and telehealth.

Health: Screening

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of providing free health checkups to all people over the age of 40 years;
	(2)  what resources his Department plans to make available to provide free health checkups to all people over the age of 40 years.

Ann Keen: The free check ups for those aged over 40, to which the hon. Member refers to, is the vascular checks programme. This will put in place an integrated, systematic population-wide vascular risk assessment and management programme for those between the ages of 40 and 74. The programme will assess people's risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease. Each person will be given individually tailored advice and support to help them reduce or manage that risk.
	The total annual cost at full implementation (including interventions to manage the risk of vascular disease) has been estimated to be in the region of £332 million in the Department's economic modelling. The costs associated with the vascular checks programme are set out in the impact assessment which has been placed in the Library.

Ophthalmology: Tamworth

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many opticians there are per 1,000 people in Tamworth borough.

Ann Keen: This information is not available in the format requested.
	The Information Centre for health and social care published the numbers of general ophthalmic services ophthalmic practitioners per 100,000 population, as at 31 December 2007, in the General Ophthalmic Services: Workforce Statistics for England and Wales: 31 December 2007 report. This report was published on 20 November 2008 and has been placed in the Library. It is also available on the website of the Information Centre for health and social care at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/genophworkfstats07
	Information is available by primary care trust and by strategic health authority, and can be found in Table B2 of the annex of the report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Strokes

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had strokes in  (a) England and  (b) the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) from 2006-07 suggest there were around 96,000 and 8,000 emergency admissions with a primary or secondary diagnosis of stroke in England and the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority respectively. However, this figure under-represents the true incidence of stroke for two reasons. Firstly, HES data only includes those who were admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of stroke but not all stroke patients currently attend hospital. Secondly, the count of admissions does not represent the total number of patients as a person may be admitted more than once in the year. HES data cannot answer the question in the form requested. Academic estimates suggest there are around 110,000 strokes in England per annum.
	Tables showing HES statistics for stroke admissions in England have been placed in the Library.

Anti-social Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders have been  (a) cautioned and  (b) issued with penalty notices for disorder in (i) the Devon and Cornwall Police Force area and (ii) England in each year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: Data provided by the Ministry of Justice showing the number of offenders cautioned as well as offenders issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND) in the Devon and Cornwall police force area and England, from 2004 to 2006 are in the following table. Data for 2007 is due to be published in late November 2008.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1,2)  and issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND), in the Devon and Cornwall police force area and England, 2004 to 2006( 3) 
			   Devon and Cornwall  England 
			   Cautioned  Given a PND  Cautioned  Given a PND 
			 2004 6,951 1,889 241,873 61,260 
			 2005 7,175 5,134 283,566 138,262 
			 2006 8,905 7,022 331,518 186,240 
			 (1 )The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2 )From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Human Trafficking

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken in support of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking; what steps have been taken in the UK as a result of the UK high level delegation's participation in the Vienna Forum on the Global Initiative held on 12 to 15 February 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Human trafficking is largely a cross border crime and the UK recognises the need for effective international collaboration to tackling this horrendous problem. The UK Government have supported UN.GIFT from the outset. The formal launch took place in London on 26 March 2007 at which my hon. Friend the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism and Policing, Vernon Coaker spoke on behalf of the Government. The UN Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking provides an important forum to discuss and facilitate global action against trafficking.
	The Vienna Forum, at which my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Policing, Crime and Security, Vernon Coaker, also spoke, delivering a keynote speech, provided an excellent opportunity to outline the UK's approach to tackling human trafficking and to develop new relationships and enhance existing ones with international partners.
	Recommendations from the Vienna Forum discussions are reflected in the UK Action Plan on Human Trafficking and are being taken forward as part of our on-going work. Examples include, further demonstrating our existing commitment to adopting a victim-centred, human rights approach to preventing and combating human trafficking by ratifying the Council of Europe Convention, which we are on-track to do by the end of the year; conducting research and analysis into the nature and extent of trafficking through the Police and the UK Human Trafficking Centre; on-going co-operation at operational level at home and abroad between key agencies like SOCA and its counterparts and at home between SOCA, the UKHTC, police, Government departments and NGOs especially in terms of investigations and victim identification; and continuation of the 'Blue Blindfold' awareness campaign led by the UK Human Trafficking centre.

Offences Against Children

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports of child abuse were made to the police in the year ending March  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005,  (c) 2006,  (d) 2007 and  (e) 2008.

Alan Campbell: The recorded crime statistics are based on legal definitions and the available statistics relate to offences recorded by the police. Statistics for the relevant recorded offences where the victim can be identified as a child are given in table 1.
	Data for table 2 has been extracted from the Homicide Index and gives the number of offences recorded as homicide where the age of the victim is under 16 and the apparent circumstances of killing is child/sexual abuse.
	
		
			  Table 1: Selected offences where the victim was child recorded by the police in England and Wales, 2002-03 to 2007-08( 1) 
			  Offence  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Cruelty to or neglect of children 6,083 5,724 5,045 4,917 5,299 
			 Abandoning a child under the age of two years 49 49 49 23 19 
			 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 n/a 1,227 1,394 1,237 1,118 
			 Rape of a female child under 16 n/a 3,014 3,153 2,853 2,418 
			 Rape of a female child under 13 n/a 970 1,388 1,524 1,472 
			 Rape of a male child under 16 n/a 322 292 261 235 
			 Rape of a male child under 13 n/a 297 364 458 427 
			 Sexual assault on a female child under 13 n/a 4,391 4,647 4,245 3,976 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 212 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 13 n/a 1,510 1,950 1,936 1,836 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16(2) 1,911 436 138 67 33 
			 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 n/a 2,546 3,283 3,208 3,100 
			 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography n/a 99 124 101 110 
			 Gross indecency with a child(2) 1,987 398 120 64 150 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced in May 2004 altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. (2) A small number of offences continue to be recorded relating to offences repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003; while these may continue to be legitimately recorded for offences committed prior to May 2004 it is also possible that some may have been recorded in these old categories in error, so recent changes based on small numbers should be interpreted with caution. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Offences currently( 1)  recorded as homicide where the age of victim is under 16 and the apparent circumstances of killing is child/sexual abuse: England and Wales, 2003-04 to 2006-07( 2,3) 
			  Year offence initially recorded as homicide( 2)  Number of victims 
			 2003-04 26 
			 2004-05 26 
			 2005-06 18 
			 2006-07 16 
			 (1) As at 12 November 2007; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. (3) Data for 2007-08 are not yet published.

Second Homes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of homes in each county in England are registered as second homes.

Iain Wright: Details of the of the number of properties registered as second homes for council tax purposes and the percentage this is of the total number of homes in each county in England in October 2007 are given in the following table.
	
		
			   Second Homes  Total number of dwellings  Second homes as percentage of total dwellings 
			 Bedfordshire 720 169,528 0.4 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,014 200,999 0.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,043 250,488 0.8 
			 Cheshire 2,543 307,500 0.8 
			 Cornwall 13,201 243,249 5.4 
			 Cumbria 8,084 234,954 3.4 
			 Derbyshire 1,733 337,102 0.5 
			 Devon 11,233 337,152 3.3 
			 Dorset 6,257 189,483 3.3 
			 Durham 707 229,175 0.3 
			 East Sussex 4,749 236,537 2.0 
			 Essex 4,621 589,066 0.8 
			 Gloucestershire 3,133 259,853 1.2 
			 Hampshire 4,436 544,576 0.8 
			 Hertfordshire 2,509 453,967 0.6 
			 Kent 6,255 610,097 1.0 
			 Lancashire 2,795 514,005 0.5 
			 Leicestershire 1,501 266,668 0.6 
			 Lincolnshire 2,649 311,516 0.9 
			 Norfolk 11,686 386,407 3.0 
			 North Yorkshire 7,055 267,360 2.6 
			 Northamptonshire 1,057 289,230 0.4 
			 Northumberland 2,767 144,026 1.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,250 340,660 0.4 
			 Oxfordshire 3,382 263,111 1.3 
			 Shropshire 1,194 129,597 0.9 
			 Somerset 2,820 231,139 1.2 
			 Staffordshire 682 356,107 0.2 
			 Suffolk 5,387 316,253 1.7 
			 Surrey 3,424 462,149 0.7 
			 Warwickshire 1,846 232,739 0.8 
			 West Sussex 6,118 347,840 1.8 
			 Wiltshire 2,161 195,414 1.1 
			 Worcestershire 1,328 242,983 0.5 
			 Total 132,340 10,490,930 1.3 
		
	
	The data are from a snapshot taken each year and are as recorded, by each local authority, in council tax base returns submitted annually.

Travelling People

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to a local authority was of providing  (a) an authorised site and  (b) an authorised pitch for gypsies and travellers in each of the last three years.

Iain Wright: Based on the value of successful bids for Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant, the average cost of providing a pitch on a new local authority site was £57,154 in 2005-06, £93,692 in 2006-07, and £81,615 in 2007-08. This cost will be affected by the location of the site—often sites are on brownfield land which requires remediation, or are some distance from essential utilities—and whether land needs to be purchased. The cost of a new site will also vary according to the number of pitches it provides.

Travelling People

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many gypsies and travellers there were in England in  (a) 1988,  (b) 1998 and  (c) 2008.

Iain Wright: We do not collect information on the number of Gypsies and Travellers in England. The bi-annual count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans provides information on the number of Gypsy and Traveller caravans in England. Copies are available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Communities and Local Government website at
	www.communities.gov.uk.
	The number of caravans counted was as follows:
	
		
			   Number of caravans 
			 January 1988 10,816 
			 January 1998 13,064 
			 January 2008 17,898

Approved Premises: Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many bail hostels there are in each of the principal seaside towns in England.

David Hanson: The Bail Accommodation and Support Service provided by ClearSprings Ltd. under contract to the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), to which I take this question to refer, does not provide hostels. It provides people on bail and on Home Detention Curfew with private, rented accommodation in small houses and flats with up to five people sharing. The numbers of houses currently provided in coastal towns in England, and Wales, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Blyth 1 
			 Bournemouth 2 
			 Cardiff 3 
			 Grimsby 1 
			 Hull 1 
			 Liverpool 4 
			 Plymouth 2 
			 Portsmouth 3 
			 Southampton 2 
			 Sunderland 2 
			 Swansea 2 
			 Weston-super-Mare 1

Departmental Television

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the television licence fee in his official Ministerial residence is paid for from public funds.

Jack Straw: I have no official ministerial residence and therefore no television licence fee is paid for it.

Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether a fees limit applies to requests for information under  (a) the Freedom of Information Act and  (b) the Environmental Information Regulations.

Michael Wills: Under section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act, public authorities have a duty to provide advice and assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do so, to people who have made or who propose to make requests for information. The Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 set out the rules and procedures for charging a fee to respond to a request for information.
	The legislation makes no provision for public authorities to charge for providing advice and assistance.
	There is no fees limit for requests for information under the environmental information regulations. The regulations stipulate only that a public authority may charge what is, in its view, a reasonable amount (regulation 8 (3)). DEFRA is the Department responsible for these regulations and publishes guidance, including advice on costs and charging, on its website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/opengov/eir/guidance/eir-feeguidance.htm
	a copy of which I am making available to the hon. Member.

Magistrates Courts

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates' courts there were in each of the last 11 years.

Bridget Prentice: Up until the 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed Magistrates Courts Committees who were statutorily independent. They were not required by statute to inform the Department of the number of magistrates courts or closures that were not subject to an appeal under section 56(3) of the Justices Peace Actl997 (now repealed). The following table shows the number of magistrates courts at year end since 2005:
	
		
			  Year end  Number of magistrates courts 
			 2005 365 
			 2006 363 
			 2007 359 
			 At 25 November 2008 358

Non-Molestation Orders

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the operation of non-molestation orders;
	(2)  how many non-molestation orders have been made in each year since their introduction;
	(3)  whether plans to review the way non-molestation orders are processed through the courts;
	(4)  whether he plans to review the operation of ex parte applications for non-molestation orders.

Bridget Prentice: In August 2008 the Ministry published research on the early findings of the impact of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Key findings were:
	there had been a positive impact since common assault became an arrestable offence (as are all criminal offences now)—strengthening and clarifying police powers and the positive arrest policy. Early findings indicated an increased use of common assault provisions;
	the impact of making breach of non-molestation orders a criminal offence was less clear-cut among professionals. Victims and advocates generally welcomed the measure, in the hope that better enforcement and heavier sanctions would result; and
	it was not possible to conclude that the drop in family court injunctions was wholly as a result of implementation of section 1 of the Act.
	Given the relatively short time since the change in the law on 1 July 2007, it is not possible to conclude that the drop in family court injunction applications and orders is a direct result of the change in legislation, or whether it represents a consolidation of previous trends as the number of family court injunction orders (non-molestation and occupation orders) has fallen gradually. It is apparent that there are variations between geographical areas and changes in volumes of non-molestation and occupation orders being made.
	The number of applications to the county courts for domestic violence remedies decreased by 7 per cent. in 2007 compared with 2006. Compared with 2003 they have fallen by 19 per cent(1).
	The number of non-molestation orders, in full calendar years, made in the County and High Courts since implementation (in October 1997) of the Family Law Act 1996 are as follows:
	
		
			   Total 
			  Manual data collection  
			 1998 18,614 
			 1999 17,877 
			 2000 18,017 
			 2001 20,789 
			   
			  FamilyMan data collection  
			 2002 24,999 
			 2003 25,428 
			 2004 23,741 
			 2005 22,843 
			 2006 22,038 
			 2007 19,917 
			  Note: Figures for 2002 to 2007 are not comparable to figures for 1998 to 2001 as they are based on different methods of data collection.  Source: 1998 to 2001: Manual returns by county courts. Published in individual editions of Judicial Statistics 1998 to 2001. 2002 to 2007: HMCS FamilyMan system. Published in Judicial and Court Statistics 2006 and 2007. 
		
	
	In the year the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act was passed (2004), the criminal courts dealt with 34,839 cases involving domestic violence(2). By 2007, this figure rose to 63,819. More victims are choosing to report incidents to the police to take the criminal court route.
	Furthermore, the charge to conviction rate in the final quarter of 2007-08 was to 70.7 per cent., exceeding the CPS's April 2008 target of 70 per cent. This is a significant improvement against the background of the 59.7 per cent. conviction rate four years ago. The national average for all domestic violence prosecutions was 72 per cent. in July-September 2008, meeting the 2008-09 target ahead of time.
	The key message is that both family and criminal court jurisdictions helped 22,975 more victims in 2007 than in 2004.
	The Ministry will continue to monitor the levels of applications and orders for non-molestation orders and is working with the judiciary and stakeholders to improve the family and criminal justice systems response to victims of domestic violence.
	While there are no specific plans to review the way non-molestation orders or ex parte applications are processed through the courts, a new Allocation and Transfer of Proceedings Order will come into effect on 25 November 2008. The objective is to ensure that proceedings are heard at the appropriate level of court and that the capacity of magistrates courts is properly utilised. This may mean that more cases under the Family Law Act 1996 will be dealt in the Family Proceedings Courts, as opposed to the county courts.
	(1) Judicial and Court Statistics 2007
	(2) Crown Prosecution Service

Penalty Notices: Drugs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many penalty notices for disorder have been issued to those with  (a) drug and  (b) alcohol-related problems since their inception.

Maria Eagle: PNDs can be issued for alcohol-related offences such as being drunk and disorderly. Data showing the number of PNDs issued for such offences to persons aged 16 and over, in England and Wales, 2004 to 2006, are shown in the following table. PNDs cannot be issued for drug-related offences, so no data exists. The PND scheme was rolled-out to all 43 forces in 2004.
	
		
			  The number of persons aged 16 and over, issued with a penalty notice for disorder for alcohol related offences, in England and Wales, 2004 to 2006( 1,2) 
			   Year 
			   Offence  2004  2005  2006 
			 DA06 Drunk and disorderly 26,609 37,038 43,556 
			 DA07, new code is DA18 Selling alcohol to person under 18 113 2,058 3,195 
			 DA08, new code is DA19 Purchasing alcohol in licensed premises for under 18 113 170 407 
			 DA09, new code is DA20 Purchasing alcohol for consumption in licensed premises for under 18 66 83 60 
			 DA10, new code is DA21 Delivery of alcohol to under 18 or allowing delivery 20 209 297 
			 DA16 Sale of alcohol to drunken person (3)— 32 47 
			 DA17 Supply of alcohol to person under 18 (3)— 3 60 
			 DB05 Drunk in highway 2,497 3,138 2,712 
			 DB07 Consuming alcohol in a designated public place 485 712 1,061 
			 DB09, new code is DB12 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 in licensed premises 485 84 75 
			 DB10, new code is DB13 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 in bar in licensed premises 7 27 14 
			 DB11, new code is DB14 Buying or attempting to buy alcohol by under 18 (3)— 21 73 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) Penalty Notices for Disorder came into force in November 2004. (3) PND offence not introduced at this time  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit.

Powers of Entry: Debt Collection

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 157-58W, on powers of entry: debt collection, what the latest timetable is for  (a) further consultation and  (b) the implementation of new powers for bailiffs; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the completed scoping exercise.

Bridget Prentice: Royal Assent in July 2007, a scoping exercise which involved a series of meetings with stakeholders to discuss implementation was undertaken. The options for implementing the enforcement provisions within the Act are, at present, being considered and an announcement will be made in the next few months. A statement will be placed in the Library.

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what stabilisation advisers' posts there are in Afghanistan; and to whom the post holders are responsible.

Douglas Alexander: There are currently sevem Stabilisation Officer posts in Helmand: two in Musa Qala; two in Sangin; one in Gereshk, and; two in Garmsir. All Stabilisation Officers report within the reporting structure of the Helmand Civil Military Mission—to the Deputy Head (Delivery). In addition, a Stabilisation Adviser in Kandahar provides advice to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Regional Command (South).

Zimbabwe: International Assistance

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department proposes should be taken to address the shortfalls in funding for the World Food Programme's operations in Zimbabwe; and what assessment has been made of the effects of those shortfalls on the provision of humanitarian aid in the country.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have contributed £9 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) appeal for Zimbabwe this year, making it the second largest donor to this appeal so far. We are encouraging other donors who have not yet done so to make a contribution. We are also working with WFP on the ground to review ways of ensuring that the current supply of food aid is used to maximum effect. Donor contributions so far have ensured that WFP operations are fully funded until January 2009.
	A national nutritional survey, conducted by the UN, is almost complete. As soon as the data is available, we will be able to assess with more confidence the effects of current food shortages and the case for a further contribution. We will also be weighing the need for further food aid against other life-saving humanitarian priorities.

Economic Situation: Hungary

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he made of the effect of the financial crisis in Hungary and Belarus on the UK economy.

Ian Pearson: UK's exposure to Hungary and Belarus is small and the direct effect of the financial crises in these countries on the UK economy is likely to be limited.

Equitable Life

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the Government's response to the Parliamentary Ombudsman's report on Equitable Life.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government will respond to the Ombudsman's report on Equitable Life.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 13 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1000W.

Child Support Agency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much debt over six years old is owed to the Child Support Agency; whether the collection of such debt may be made through enforcement; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The administration of the child maintenance system is a matter for the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much debt over six years old is owed to the Child Support Agency; whether the collection of such debt may be made through enforcement; and if he will make a statement.
	It is only possible to analyse the age of debt accrued while a case is on the CS2 computer system. As the CS2 system has only existed since March 2003, no debt is recorded as being over 6 years old.
	The Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 were amended in 2006 to remove the six-year limitation period for applying to the court for a liability order in England and Wales. The effect of the amended legislation which came into force on 12 July 2006 is that debts of child support that have accrued since 12 July 2000 can be pursued through the courts.
	Where arrears are outstanding for periods prior to 12 July 2000 the Child Support Agency may instigate debt recovery by alternative measures, which include imposing a Deduction from Earnings Order or employing external debt collection agencies.
	The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 provides that in future the Commission may issue its own liability orders, without application to the court. These administrative liability orders may be made in respect of arrears that accrued before 12 July 2000 and will enable the Commission to pursue payment through the courts. The 2008 Act also provides powers for the Commission to make orders to deduct money from non-resident parents' bank accounts. Deduction orders will be made without application to the court and there is no time limitation on the arrears to which they may apply.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support Agency: Complaints

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints were made to the Child Support Agency by its customers in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints were made to the Child Support Agency by its customers in each of the last five years.
	The information you have requested is set out in the attached table.
	Since April 2006, as a result of the improvements to client service made under the Operational Improvement Plan the number of complaints received has fallen. In addition, the Agency revised and simplified the complaints process from April 2007, removing a tier from the resolution process and introducing specialist case workers responsible for resolving all aspects of our clients' complaints.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of complaints received overall agency 
			   Complaints received 
			 2003-04 49,200 
			 2004-05 63,800 
			 2005-06 62,100 
			 2006-07 47,900 
			 2007-08 37,600 
			  Notes: 1. These figures are taken from the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts. 2. From April 2007, the Agency introduced a new complaints resolution process, which among others simplified the process from three stages to two stages. 3. Figures rounded to nearest 100.

Children: Maintenance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many liability orders have been re-issued incorrectly by the Child Support Agency in Birkenhead in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what processes are in place at the Child Support Agency in Birkenhead to prevent the incorrect issuing of liability orders.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	; and
	What processes are in place at the Child Support Agency in Birkenhead to prevent the incorrect issuing of liability orders.
	The information you requested on the number of Liability Orders that have been re-issued incorrectly is not available as this information is not routinely recorded.
	The Child Support Agency has processes in place to ensure Liability Orders are administered correctly and consistently in all of its offices including the Birkenhead site. Experienced senior case officers are responsible for preparing all applications to the courts for liability orders in respect of the non-resident parent's child maintenance arrears. The case officer will check the details on the case are correct; checking contact details, maintenance payments paid, preparing a full accounts breakdown to ensure the arrears are correct and ensuring an arrears warning letter has been sent to the non-resident parent.
	If the non-resident parent has in the past considered that the maintenance calculation itself is incorrect, they will have had an opportunity to appeal the assessment through the independent Tribunals Service. Once a liability order is being actively considered by the Court, the non-resident parent can make representations for the Court to dismiss the liability order. The Courts currently dismiss less than one per cent of applications. The Agency believes that this is a good indication of the robustness of the checking regime currently in place. Finally, once a liability order has been awarded, the non-resident parent can again bring forward additional information, or indeed settle their arrears and the Agency may again consider whether it is appropriate to proceed with the application.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases being handled by the Child Support Agency are logged under the  (a) CSCS and  (b) CS2 computer systems.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 10 November 2008
	The administration of the child maintenance system is a matter for the Commissioner of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases being handled by the Child Support Agency are logged under the (a) CSCS and (b) CS2 computer systems.
	At the end of September 2008, the Agency had a total of 1,339,600 cases registered as live across the CSCS and CS2 computer systems. Of these around 939,100 cases were registered on the CS2 computer system. This includes around 242,900 old child maintenance scheme cases which were maintained on the CS2 computer system. The remaining 400,400 live old scheme cases were registered on the CSCS computer system.
	The Agency also had a total of 44,000 live clerical cases of which a significant number will be included in the cases shown as registered on the computer systems. These are cases which are being progressed clerically but remain registered on the computer systems.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Pension Credit Public Expenditure

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the distribution by household income  (a) quintile and  (b) decile of his Department's expenditure arising from pension credit in each year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: Pension credit helps millions of older people. It ensures no pensioner aged 60 or over should have to live on less than £124.05 per week for a single person and £189.35 for a couple in 2008-09. Pension credit also rewards those aged 65 or over who have made modest provision for their retirement, up to £19.71 for a single person and £26.13 for a couple. Since pension credit was introduced in 2003 the number of pensioners in relative poverty has fallen by around 500,000 (after housing costs).
	Pension credit expenditure was £5,971 m in 2004-05, £6,426 million in 2005-06 and £6,689 million in 2006-07. Information on the expenditure on pension credit by equivalised household income quintiles and deciles on an after housing cost basis is set out in the following table for available years. Estimates of pension credit expenditure by equivalised income quintile and deciles below are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain quintiles and deciles and statistical variation in expenditure by quintile across the years.
	These figures are rounded to the nearest £50 million:
	
		
			  Table 1: Expenditure on pension credit by equivalised income quintile based on pensioners only, Great Britain, 2004-05 to 2006-07 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07  £ million, after housing costs 
			 Bottom quintile 1,800 
			 Second quintile 1,500 
			 Third quintile 1,150 
			 Fourth quintile 1,500 
			 Top quintile 450 
			 Total 6,422 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Expenditure on pension credit by equivalised income decile based on pensioners only, Great Britain, 2004-05 to 2006-07 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07  £ million, after housing costs 
			 Bottom decile 600 
			 Second decile 1,200 
			 Third decile 900 
			 Fourth decile 600 
			 Fifth decile 600 
			 Sixth decile 550 
			 Seventh decile 800 
			 Eighth decile 700 
			 Ninth decile 350 
			 Top decile 100 
			 Total 6,422 
		
	
	Pension credit recipients within the top two quintiles would generally be expected to either have severe disabilities or be living within a wider household, such as that of a family member, in these circumstances the pensioner's income is assessed independently of the household to establish entitlement to pension credit.
	The relatively low level of expenditure in the bottom decile is partly explained by pensioners in these deciles not taking up their benefit entitlement. We continue to strive to ensure people are aware of and claim their entitlement. The Pensions Disability and Carers Service use data matching to identify those likely to be entitled to pension credit and encourage them to make a claim.
	The claim process is being made much simpler and more automatic and from October 2008 we are proposing to introduce a measure which will enable pensioners to claim housing benefit and council tax benefit with pension credit entirely over the phone without having to fill in and sign a claim form.
	Each week the Pensions Disability and Carers Service is carrying out around 13,000 visits to help the more vulnerable pensioners with benefits. Since the introduction of pension credit the number of pensioners in relative poverty (measured by 60 per cent. of contemporary median income after housing costs) has fallen by around 500,000.
	 Notes:
	1. Pension credit was introduced in October 2003. This means data is only available for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	2. All figures are shown in nominal terms (ie not adjusted for inflation). Family Resources Survey (FRS) data have been applied to administrative data to derive a split by decile/quintile. Estimates of Pension Credit expenditure by equivalised income decile are based on a three year average to help take account of small sample sizes in certain deciles/quintiles and statistical variation in expenditure by decile/quintile across the years.
	3. Administrative data totals are available to the nearest £ million, while information based on survey data is presented rounded to the nearest £50 million.
	4. FRS data is based on private households only, while the pension credit expenditure data covers all recipients.
	5. Decile amounts may not sum to quintile amounts, because of rounding.
	6. The Family Resources Survey is known to undercount receipt of certain benefits. This methodology assumes that this undercount is spread proportionally across deciles.
	7. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series.
	8. The quintiles and deciles are derived using OECD equivalisation factors.

Pension Credit: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Hemel Hempstead residents have applied for pension credits since the scheme's inception.

Rosie Winterton: There have been 4,980 successful claims for Pension Credit in Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency, since its introduction to May 2008.
	 Notes
	1. Number of successful claims are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. On flows count the number of spells on this benefit that commenced within each quarter. It does not include flows where people have moved out of one area and into another while remaining on the benefit.
	3. Pension credit was introduced on 6 October 2003.
	 Source
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Please note these statistics are experimental, still in development and should be treated with caution.

Pension Disability and Carers Service: Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Pensions Service spent in making contributions to final salary pensions schemes in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Information was requested for the last 10 years, but data is only available from 2002-03, the year that The Pension Service was formed.
	The Information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Employer contribution for pension costs 
			  £ million 
			 2002-03 25.343 
			 2003-04 37.367 
			 2004-05 36.331 
			 2005-06 46.135 
			 2006-07 46.519 
			 2007-08 42.195 
			  Notes: 1. The percentage to be applied to pensionable pay varies depending on the salary bands within The Pension Service. The salary bands were revised in 2007-08. 2. The above employer contributions exclude the pension costs arising from the termination of staff contracts associated with reductions in staffing levels and increases in operational efficiency. These costs were £12.459 million (2005-06), £2.984million (2006-07) and £36.121 million (2007-08). 3. Since 30 July 2007 new entrants have been joining the nuvos section of the PCSPS. This is not a final salary scheme. In pensions terminology this would normally be referred to as a Career Average or CARE scheme. Benefits are linked to salary throughout someone's career rather than their final earnings. 4. The increase in employer contributions between 2002-03 and 2003-04 reflects the increase in staffing needed to handle pension credit take-up.

Home Computing Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment was made of the effectiveness of the home computing initiative in each year between 1999 and 2006.

Patrick McFadden: The Office of e-Envoy had policy responsibility for The Home Computing Initiative (HCI) between 1999 and 2004. Responsibility for HCI Policy was transferred to this Department in January 2004.
	From 2004 and up to the removal of the 1999 tax break in 2006, the Department met regularly with HMT, OFT and the HCI Alliance (BT, Intel and Microsoft) to monitor progress. A core part of this Department's contribution to the project was the production of an information pack which made the guidance material easier to understand for employers and employees wishing to take part in the scheme.
	Our assessment indicated that the Home Computer Initiative had been successful in reaching those in employment. However, it was not reaching those who were not working and Government wanted to refocus its resources to support groups with the poorest access to technology such as the unemployed, elderly, disabled and low-income groups. Consequently the tax exemption was removed.
	Since the demise of 1999 Tax exemption, Government have launched the Home Access Programme—The programme aims to ensure that every learner in England (five to 19 years old and in maintained education) has access to increased educational opportunities via ICT resources at home. The programme is led by the Home Access Taskforce and chaired by Jim Knight.
	Paul Murphy SoS for Wales and Minister for Digital Inclusion recently launched the cross Government consultation paper "Delivering Digital Inclusion—An Action Plan for Consultation". The action plan seeks to provide a framework for achieving greater digital equality within the UK, through both immediate actions and a number of proposals put forward for wider consultation.

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets: Gyms

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the annual running costs have been of the gymnasium used by staff at the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets in each year between 2003 and 2007.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The gymnasium at 9 Milbank is funded by licence revenues and membership subscriptions, and not from the public purse.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent in each regional development agency area on  (a) rural,  (b) urban and  (c) coastal communities in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not record expenditure as requested in the question. Furthermore, to separate out this data would incur disproportionate cost.

Trade: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government is taking to promote trade between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the United Kingdom.

Gareth Thomas: Hong Kong is one of the UK's most important business partners in the Asia Pacific region. This year there have been ministerial and VIP visits to promote the bilateral trade and investment relationship by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (February), and my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (June), and the Lord Mayor of London (July).
	Her Majesty's Consul General and the UK Trade and Investment team actively support British business in Hong Kong including practical market entry assistance, market research and support on trade missions and trade fairs. The Consulate General's premises are also regularly used to host events for British companies. The UK Trade and Investment team in Hong Kong are also working with their colleagues in Mainland China and the China Britain Business Council to provide British companies with integrated trade services covering Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.
	Alongside mainland China, Hong Kong is included in UKTI's High Growth Markets Programme.
	In addition UKTI is working closely with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council through the Hong Kong/UK Business Partnership to identify and deliver increased bilateral trade opportunities.

Wind Power

David Jones: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects to announce his decision on the application by Npower Renewables for consent for the development of the Gwynt y Mor wind farm under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 6 October 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	Shortly.

Children in Care: Boarding Schools

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils who were looked after were boarders according to the most recent school census from which data is available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is not possible, given the amount of analysis required, to provide a response to this question within the timeframe required by Parliament. The requested information will be provided by the school census team and placed in the Library in due course.
	The most recent census data relates to January 2008
	The census shows 34,390 pupils aged 5 to 19 attending primary, secondary and special schools who are classed as being in care as at January 2008. Data published by the Department as SFR 23/2008: Children looked after in England (including adoption and care leavers) year ending 31 March 2008, show 47,600 children aged between five and 19 as being looked after as at 31 March 2008. The school census does not cover all looked after children; information is not collected for pupils in alternative provision, including pupil referral units, FE colleges, voluntary provision and those not in education or training. These differences in coverage will explain the different counts to an extent, but it is possible that the school census undercounts the number of looked after children in primary, secondary and special schools.

Children: Day Care

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery places for three and four year olds there were in Crosby constituency in  (a) 1996 and  (b) 2007; and what proportion of all three and four year olds in the constituency these figures represent in each year.

Beverley Hughes: All four year olds have been entitled to a free early education place since 1998 and from April 2004 this entitlement was extended to all three year olds. Therefore, information prior to these years is not available.
	Information on the number of nursery places for three and four year olds is not collected centrally. The table provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four year olds in Crosby parliamentary constituency area in 2007.
	
		
			  Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2 ) filled by three and four-year-olds:  p arliamentary constituency Crosby—Position in January 2007 
			   3-year-olds  4-year-olds 
			   maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 4)  total 3 - yea -  olds  maintained nursery and primary schools( 5)  other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 6)  total 4 - yea r- olds 
			 2007 280 350 630 540 130 670 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. The part-time equivalent is derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and two and a half hours per week as 0.2 places. (5) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (6) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. The part-time equivalent is derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and 2 and a half hours per week as 0.2 places. 
		
	
	Information on the proportion of all three and four year olds in the constituency is not available.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four year olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 12/2008 "Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2008", available on my Department's website
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s00079Q/index.shtml.

Departmental NDPBs

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the remit is of each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department; and what budget each has been set for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The DCSF has 12 Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), nine of which are Executive NDPBs and three are Advisory NDPBs. In summary, the remit of each NDPB is as follows:
	 Executive NDPBs
	British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA): is the government lead partner in the strategic development and delivery of the e-strategy. It influences the strategic direction and development of national education policy to take best advantage of technology. BECTA informs and influences education decisions by developing and disseminating high quality evidence of the progress and impact of technology in education, technology innovation and effective practice.
	Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS ): looks after the interests of children involved in family proceedings. It works with children and their families, and then advises the courts on what it considers to be in the best interests of individual children.
	Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC): improves the lives of children, young people, their families and carers by ensuring that all people working with them have the best possible training, qualifications, support and advice. It also helps children and young people's organisations and services to work together better so that the child is at the centre of all services.
	National College for School Leadership (NCSL) : works to make a difference to children's lives through excellent school leadership - growing and supporting current and future school leaders so that they can have a positive impact within and beyond their schools.
	Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC, also referred to as '11 Million'): looks after the interests and acts as the voice of children and young people.
	Partnership for Schools (PfS): supports the local delivery of the Department's 'Building Schools for the Future' programme (including Academies) to renew or rebuild every one of England's 3,500 state secondary schools.
	Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA): is committed to building a world-class education and training framework by regulating, developing and modernising the curriculum, assessments, examinations and qualifications.
	School Food Trust (SFT): its remit is to transform school food and food skills, promote the education and health of children and young people and improve the quality of food in schools.
	Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA): works with schools to develop the workforce and ensure that schools can recruit good quality, well trained people. Supporting schools to provide extended services for parents, children and young people.
	 Advisory NDPBs
	Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG): advises the Government on the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and to monitor its implementation. The Strategy aims to halve the rate of conceptions to under-18s by 2010 and to increase the participation of teenage parents in education, training and employment.
	School Teachers' Review Body (STRB): examines and reports on such matters relating to the statutory conditions of employment of school teachers in England and Wales as may from time to time be referred to it by the Secretary of State.
	Teachers' TV (TTV): provides a service to help head teachers, teachers, governors, teaching assistants, school support staff and other people who work in schools to deliver education to the highest possible standard. The Teachers' TV Board of Governors oversees the performance management of the channel to ensure it delivers value for money and meets audience needs.
	Details of the funding of DCSF's Executive Non-Departmental Public Bodies were given to the hon. member on 22 October 2008,  Official Report column. 461W. For convenience, the funding details are reproduced in the following table. Some of these budgets are subject to change but are correct as at 17 November 2008.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Executive Non-Departmental Public Body  2008-09  2009-10( 1)  2010-11( 1)  Total 
			 The British, Educational, Telecommunications and Technology Agency (BECTA) 11 11 11 33 
			 Children & Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) 113 122 131 366 
			 Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC)(2) 53 4 4 61 
			 National College of School Leadership (NCSL) 98 82 82 262 
			 Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) 3 3 3 9 
			 Partnerships for Schools (PfS) 8 8 8 24 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) 176 110 113 399 
			 School Food Trust (SFT) 8 7 6 21 
			 Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA) 724 632 611 1,967 
			 (1) Planned funding, subject to confirmation. (2) CWDC was not included in the answer given on 22 October 2008,  Official Report, column 461W. 
		
	
	The Advisory NDPBs incur little or no expenditure and are resourced from within the Department's existing budgets. As a result, information on budgets for 2008-11 are not readily available.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications for the education maintenance allowance have been received for the academic year 2008-09; and how many of them have been fully processed.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about applications made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for Putney with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  when the decision was taken to combine the administration of the education maintenance allowance with other adult learning grants; what the reasons for that decision were; who took the decision; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what  (a) grants and  (b) allowances are administered via the Learner Support Programme contracted to Liberata; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Learner Support programmes for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The LSC are responsible for the contract to deliver the helpline, assessment and payment function for the learner support programmes. Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which company has been contracted to run the Learner Support Programme in 2009; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that education maintenance allowance payments are made on time; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Learner Support programmes for the Department for Children, Schools. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people entitled to education maintenance allowance in 2008-09 have not yet received any payments; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Eligibility for the education maintenance allowance (EMA) is based on household income. The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on household income for every eligible 16 to 18-year-old who participates in a course that meets the EMA valid provision criteria. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the number of students who are entitled to EMA. With regard to EMA payments, this is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold information about payments made under the EMA scheme.
	Mark Haysom, the LSC's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Telephone Services

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many calls were made to the learner support helpline for students claiming education maintenance allowance in each month since September 2007; and how many of them were  (a) answered and  (b) unanswered in each of those months:
	(2)  how many advisers were working on the learner support helpline for students claiming education maintenance allowance in each month since September 2007;
	(3)  what the cost for the contractor Liberata to staff the learner support helpline for students claiming education maintenance allowance was in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07,  (c) 2007-08 and  (d) 2008-09.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and contract with Liberata to deliver the helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the Hon. Member for Putney with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Primary Education: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has changed its estimates of the demand for primary school places in London for the next four years in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's estimates on the demand for school places are based on data supplied by local authorities. The Department collects pupil projection data from local authorities on an annual basis, as part of the surplus places survey. This year's survey data, incorporating pupil projections made by local authorities in spring/summer 2008, were submitted to the Department in August 2008.

Primary Education: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms there are by which London boroughs will receive additional capital allocations for primary schools in the next three years if new figures show an increase in demand for primary school places; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department relies on the accuracy of local authority forecasts when allocating basic need capital funding for additional pupil places. Accordingly, and to ensure that local authorities can plan strategically, the £1.2 billion budget for basic need funding was allocated to London and other authorities at the beginning of the spending review period covering the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 . This can be used, at local authorities' discretion, to expand primary or secondary schools. In addition, the Department is allocating some £1.9 billion to London and other authorities through its primary capital programme during this period, subject to local authorities agreeing their primary capital programmes for change with the Department.
	The Department does not hold back funds for later distribution on the basis that primary school pupil forecasts may be inaccurate. Accordingly, where new figures show that original forecasts were too low, local authorities have the flexibility to use their modernisation allocations to fund primary school expansion. They may also have access to other local resources.

Pupils: Languages

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools in  (a) Tower Hamlets,  (b) Newham,  (c) Westminster,  (d) Brent and  (e) Hounslow were attended by more than 50 per cent. of pupils with a first language other than English in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many schools had more than 50 per cent. of pupils with a language other than English according to the last school census from which data is available.

Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Number of schools which have more than 50 per cent. of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English1,2—Position as at January 2008 
			   England  Tower Hamlets  Newham  Westminster  Brent  Hounslow 
			 More than 50 per cent. 1,476 70 73 41 56 36 
			 (1) Includes maintained nursery, maintained primary and maintained secondary, pupil referral units, city technology colleges, academies and all special schools. (2) Pupils of compulsory school age and above. Excludes dually registered pupils.  Source: School Census

Schools: Noise

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps are being taken to ensure that acoustics in new school buildings are in compliance with building regulations to enable all children to listen and learn effectively, with particular reference to hearing impaired children.

Jim Knight: All new school buildings must comply with the acoustic standards in Building Bulletin 93, "Acoustic Design of Schools", 2003, which are quoted in Approved Document Part E in support of the Building Regulations. Building Control Bodies ensure that these standards are met. Section 6 of BB93 "Acoustic design and equipment for pupils with special hearing requirements" gives further guidance for children with hearing impairments. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires local authorities and governing bodies to make reasonable adjustments to schools to cater for the special needs of particular children. Therefore, for any new school, the local authority or governing body must assess the expected level of special needs of the children who will be attending the school and determine if any adjustments to the BB93 standards are required. This may require consultation with educational audiologists and acousticians. In particular, a lower reverberation time may be needed in rooms where the hearing impaired are taught. There is a special needs appeal process and if the designs are not adequate for any particular children who will be attending the school then acoustic treatment may be required post construction.

Carbon Emissions: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) Civil Service support and  (b) office space will be given to the special representative on carbon trading; and what expenses the representative will be able to claim.

Joan Ruddock: The Special Representative on carbon markets, Mark Lazarowicz MP, reports to the Prime Minister through the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Financial Services Secretary. The Representative receives support from Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) officials and officials in HM Treasury. He is entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for any overseas trips made in his capacity as Special Representative.

Departmental Public Bodies

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have.

Mike O'Brien: The Cabinet Office paper deposited in the Libraries of the House titled "Machinery of Government: economy, business, climate change, energy and environment" sets out much of this information. There are ongoing negotiations to determine the overall functions of the Department and which additional regulators, inspectorate, Executive agencies and NDPB which will be the responsibility of the Department and will be published in due course.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget is for the first operational year of his Department.

Mike O'Brien: The annual budget for the Department for Energy and Climate Change is currently being determined with HM Treasury. The agreed budget figures will be published in the Spring Supplementary Estimates in February 2009.

Electricity: Per Capita Costs

Adam Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the annual average cost per domestic electricity consumer in Scotland arising from the operation of the Renewables Obligation Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 28 October 2008
	The Renewables Obligation Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Executive.
	However, Ofgem who administer the Renewables Obligation for DECC, the Scottish Executive, and DETI Northern Ireland, have calculated the annual cost of the RO for 2008-09 to be around £10 per customer. This information is published on the Ofgem website at
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documentsl/energy%20prices%20jan08.pdf.

Energy: Meters

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will put in place a deadline for the compulsory roll-out of smart energy meters to homes and businesses.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 12 November 2008
	The Government announced on 28 October its plans to roll-out smart meters to all domestic customers  Official Report, House of Lords, 28 October 2008, column 1515 along with an indicative timetable of around two years to design and establish the full details of a roll-out followed by a 10 year roll-out period.
	In the Budget 2008 the Government announced the roll-out of advanced metering for larger business customers over a five year period beginning in early 2009. A consultation on the provision of smart and advanced metering for remaining business customers closed on 17 October. The Government will respond soon.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he will respond to the letter to him of 3rd October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms M Bolton.

Joan Ruddock: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Edward Miliband) replied to the hon. Member's letter on behalf of Ms M Bolton on 20 November.

National Nuclear Laboratory

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made towards establishing a National Nuclear Laboratory.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform confirmed the establishment of the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) when he visited Sellafield on 23 July. DECC is currently running a competition to appoint a management contractor who can put the business onto a sound commercial footing and realise the NNL's fuller potential by broadening the range of work and customers. The competition is making good progress and the new management contractor is expected to be in place by spring 2009.

Nuclear Power Stations

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the working lifetime of any new nuclear power station built in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: The assumption for the working lifetime of any new nuclear power station built in the UK was contained in analysis published with the 2006 Energy Review. This is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file32014.pdf
	Plant lifetime was assumed to be 40 years.
	The consultation document on Funded Decommissioning Programme Guidance for New Nuclear Power Stations set out a Base Case which includes the assumption that the reactor design will be based on a single station operating for an assumed life of 40 years. The Government response to the consultation confirmed that this should remain the assumption for the Base Case. However it will be open to operators to suggest alternative station lifetimes. Both documents are available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/sources/nuclear/consultations/closed-response/page47749.html

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has considered the merits of allowing regional variations in grant limit levels under the Warm Front scheme to account for regional variations in the cost of work under the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: The Department is currently reviewing the existing grant maxima. As part of this process we will be considering options for grant distribution, and will look at the possibility of regional variations in grant maxima.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of grant limit levels under the Warm Front scheme.

Joan Ruddock: The Department is currently reviewing the existing grant maxima. In doing so, we shall be considering the findings and recommendations of the National Audit Office's Value for Money study of the scheme which is due to be published early next year.